Packing



R. H. RICE.

PMIKING.

APPLICATION mm mums. ma.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Inventor; Richard H. Rice, $04M His aqbtor-n ey.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD H. RICE, OF SWAMIPSCOTT. MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PACKING.

Application filed. March 23, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD H. RICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex, btate of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Packings, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to ackings such as are utilized between a rotating shaft and a stationary member through which it passes to revent leakage around the shaft, and has or its object to provide an improved packing which is short, can be easily assembled and dismantled, and which may be advantageously utilized to pack against hi h pressures.

or a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is dirooted to the accompanying specification and the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an embodminet of my improved packin applied to an elastic fluid turbine, the tiir ine being shown partly in section; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the packing, and Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, 5 indicates a shaft extending through a casing 6. 1n the present instance the shaft is that of an elastic fluid turbine and is shown as carrying bucket wheels 7, and the packing is shown as being utilized at the high pressure end of the turbine. The packing comprises two portions a high pressure ortion which is of the la yrinth type an a low pressure portion which is preferably of the carbon rin type. The high pressure portion com rises a sleeve 8 fixed to shaft 5 and provlded with radially extending rojections 9 and a second sleeve 10, also xed to the shaft 5 and rovided with radially extending projections 11. The sleeves 8 and 10 are fixed against movement axially along the shaft by being held between ,a collar 12 on the shaft and a ring 13 threaded on to the shaft. Com centric with sleeves 8 and 10 and spaced radially therefrom is a packing sleeve 14, having projections 15 thereon. Packing sleeve ,14 may be made of any suitable length and maybe supported from the shaft in any suitable manner. In the present instance it is shfi wnflsbeing carried by a wall 16 formed integral with sleeve 10, the sleeves Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Serial No. 224,139.

10 and 14 and wall 16 thus forming one unitary structure. The sleeves 8, 10 and 14 form the rotating part of the labyrinth packing. The stationary part of the labyrinth packing comprises three packing rings 18, 19 and 20 which closely surround sleeves 8, 10 and 14, respectively, and have rojections 21 which interleave with proections 9, 11 and 15. The packing rings 19 and 20 are formed integral with and connected to each other by a wall 22, and they are held in position by a collar 23 formed integral with ring 20 and held between the surface 24 of a packing box 25 and the surface of a holding ring 26. Col lar 23 is rovided with an axially extending flange 2 which engages a flange 28 on ring 26 to limit the movement of the packing rings 19 and 20 toward the shaft. The unitary structure comprising packing rings 19 and 20', wall 22 and flange 23 1s spilt axially into two or more parts to facilitate the assembling of the packing rings and also to permit of a slight movement of the packing rings in case the shaft should run slightly out of true. Such unitary structure is thus divided into are shaped sections and these sections are forced toward the shaft so as to bring flange 23 into engagement with flange 28 by means of suitable leaf springs 30, as is best shown in Fig. 3. In t e present instance the structure is shown as being made in three parts, the joints between parts being indicated at 31 in Figs. 3, The acking ring 18 is provided with an annu ar collar 32 which projects between a surface of wall 6 and a surface of packing box 25 and is provided with an axially extending flange 33 which engages the outer surface of packin box 25 to limit the movement of packing ring 18 toward the shaft. The packing ring 18 is also formed in two or more are shaped sections, the same as are packing rings 19 and 20 and they are held in position with the flange 33- against packing box 25 by means of suitable leaf SPI'lIl s 34.

(is a drain pipe 37. The low pressure portion of the packing is shown as comprismg a series of carbon rings 38 formed 1 a suitable number of are shaped sections and held against. the shaft by means of leaf springs 39. The holder for, the. carbon rings 38 comprises a sleeve 40, provided with a series of spaced projecting walls 41,,tbn carbon rings 38 being located between such wa lls with theexneption, of the one farthest.

to the right which is held between a wall 41 and the surface of the holding ring 26. The entire packing structure is rigidly fixed together and to the casing wall 6 by a ring of bolts 42 which pass through a flange 4301i sleeve 40 and the holding ring 26. 44 indicates a drain pipe which is located between the two outermost carbon packing ringsand is utilized to drain any condensate or elastic fluid from the packing so as to prevent as nearly as possible the escapeof elastic fluid past the last carbon ring to atmosphere.

As is obvious, the path through which elastic fluid must flow in order to escape from the first stage of the turbine to at mosphere is first between packing rings 8 and 18, thence between packing rings 14 and 20, thence between packing rings 11 and 19 to the annular chamber 36 and from here-it must escape past the series of carbon rings 38 in order to reach the atmosphere. A labyrinth packing I have found to be most satisfactory for packing against high elastic fluid pressures and I therefore utilize an arrangement of this type for the high. pressure part of my packing. On the other hand, a carbon, ring packing of the type shown is very satisfactory inpacking against-lower pressures. By forming parts of the labyrinth packing in concentric relation to each other I thereby obtained a comparatively short packing, of this type and by utilizing such a packing in connection with the carbon ring packingshown, 1 obtaineda complete packing; which is also short in lengtnand which, is comparatively chea to build and very ,efiicient 1n service.

W .ile. I ha e, referre here n Specifically to. he lo pre sure P t on o my p ve packingas being of the carbon ring type, 1t,will, of csourse, beunderstood. that I am not necessarily limitedthereto but that I may ,use any other similar 1 type ofpacking as ma ,be found desirablein any particular sv lhti nfl. At pr nth weve i I P l-21y use a packing of theflso termed carbon, ring type.

In accordance with the provisions of the pat nt st ut s,..l have des ri edt W nl of op ic 'o e i n, t ge he th the .a ppa nsi i h I v mn der to represent the smbodi nentther a ;but I .slasilie to hav ait understood hat thean aa as avn l 1iW P I h Je nd it at haiavenu n. an. he smiled, out. by, othe Wu. 7

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited Statesis 1. The combinationtwi h a shaft and a wall through Which it passes, of a packing between the two which is made up of a high pressure portion and a low pressure portion, said high pressure portion comprising axially extending revolving ring me1nbers carried by the shaft, a packing box surrounding them, axially extending stationary ring members carried by said packing box, interleaving projections on said revolving and. stationary ring members, and radially yielding means which holds the stationary ring members in operative relation to said rotating ring members.

2. The combination with a shaft and a wall through which it passes, of a packing between the two which is made up of a high pressure portion and a low pressure portion, said high pressure portion comprising axially extending revolving ring members carried by the shaft, a packmgbox surrounding them, axially extending stationary ring members carried by said packing box, interleaving projections on said revolving and stationary rin members, and radially yielding means WlllCh holds the stationary ring members-in operative relation to said rotating ring members, and said low pressure portion comprising a sleeve which is fastened to said packing box and has anumber of annular grooves therein, and.packing rings located in said grooves.

33. The combination witha. shaft and a wall through which it passes of a packing between the two which is made up of a high pressure portion and a low pressure portion, said high pressure portion comprising axially extending revolving ring members carried by the shaft, a packing boa surrounding, them, axially extending stationary ring members carriedby said packing box, interleaving promotions 9n Said revolving andstatdonary ring members angl a ly y ldi g means hich bldsth stationary ring members inoperative relation to said rotating ring members and said low pressure portion comprising a sleeve which is fastened to saidfpackingjbox and hasa number of annular grooves therein, and packingringslocated in said coves, there being an annnla chem etween said portions,- and ,a therefrom.

4. The combination with a shatt and .wall through which it passes ofa packing between t e, w o p es. a h Pres ur her I ail'i p 1 eading I.

portion of the labyrinth ,typeand a low pressure portion of another type, said lahi rinth. yp r k g mnrisin -mri atn ov apping r n w t ter. sa ng. P o i tion etvwai emi, the mna a or the b ri itne ses meanness are shaped segments, and spring means for pressing the segments toward the shaft.

5. The combination with a shaft and a wall through which it passes of a labyrinth packing between the two comprising eoncentrio overlapping rings carried by the shaft and provided with projections, and cooperating stationary rings carried by the wall and provided with projections which interleave with the projections on the first named rings, said stationary rings being formed of are shaped segments, means for yieldingly pressing the segments toward the first named rings, and means for limiting their movement in such direction.

6. The combination with a shaft and wall through which it passes, of a packing between the two comprising a high pressure portion of the labyrinth type and a low pressure portion of another type, said labyrinth type packing comprising concentric overlapping rings with interleaving proj ections between them, the stationary rmgs of the labyrinth packing fleeing formed of are shaped segments, and sprin means for pressing the segments toward t e shaft, and said low pressure portion comprising an axially extending sleeve having grooves therein,

and carbon ring carried in said grooves.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day 10f March, 1918.

BIG ARD H. RICE. 

